The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. It is generally known that personal articles such as bicycles, laptop computers and portable electronic devices are popular targets for thieves. Such personal articles are often stolen out of a vehicle if stored in plain-sight within the vehicle. In addition, once stolen from the vehicle, a vehicle owner may be entirely unaware that a crime has occurred. Only upon returning to the vehicle would the vehicle owner learn that any personal articles were stolen.
Further, it is generally known that dozens of children and hundreds of pets die every year as a result of being unintentionally left behind or “forgotten” inside of a vehicle. When trapped inside of the vehicle, exposure to excessive heat may cause a child or a pet to develop heat exhaustion and/or heat stroke. Even during relatively mild weather, the vehicle interior cabin may warm and quickly reach life-threatening temperatures. In cold weather, low interior cabin temperatures may cause frostbite and/or hypothermia.
Even further, it is generally known that carbon monoxide (“CO”) poisoning may unsuspectingly cause loss of consciousness and/or death. CO poisoning is responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of emergency room visits every year. Operating a vehicle in an enclosed garage or with an obstructed exhaust system is a common cause of CO poisoning. Children are particularly susceptible to the effects of CO exposure. If trapped inside of a running vehicle within an enclosed garage, the life of a child may be endangered.
A need, therefore, exists for an alert system in which the alert system observes the position of an object, monitors the environment with respect to the object and alerts a vehicle owner regarding the status of the object according to a predefined set of conditions. More specifically, a need exists for an alert system to detect the presence of a personal article within a vehicle, to monitor the position of the personal article and to trigger an alert if the personal article is removed from the vehicle. Additionally, a need exists for an alert system to detect the presence of a child or a pet inside of a vehicle, to monitor the conditions inside and/or surrounding the vehicle and to trigger an alert if conditions within the vehicle may endanger the child or the pet.